rope shelf life

[willeklong]

so, i run into a trad rope that's been hung in a garage for about 3 years. Owner can't remember exact age, but rope has never been used, certainly no falls and looks brand new. Edelrid, not sure of model name, about 8.5 to 9mm.

What happens to a rope on the shelf after 5y? Would you trust your life with it?

[Hann]

Willeklong,

Accepted norm is to retire soft gear (slings, harnesses, ropes) after 5 years.
Unused I think up to 10 years.

Question here is:

Will YOU trust YOUR life on that rope?
Its called making the responsible choice yourself.

But not to be a complete ruffian: (my english are getting better)

In a guy’s garage, not sure of age (or real use)?
I would not climb on it if it was given to me for free.
But that is just me.

[Nic Gear]

use it for top rope set ups and slings.
if you are still worried, ill give you R300 for it. PM me.

[Marshall1]

Willeklong, 3 years is very old. Please post it to me so I can dispose of it safely for you. I'll PM my address.

[Dragon]

Ok I'm gonna stick my neck out here but here goes:

In ideal shelf conditions ie dark dry clean etc etc 3yrs is nothing - I would happily use that rope full on with not even the slightest conscience. I think even the makers will support this ( and they are conservative for liability reasons ) - seem to remember this was covered in a previous thread??? I seem to remember (but have been wrong before) some rope makers supporting up to 5yrs of unused perfect condition shelf life and then up to 5yrs of use after that (depending on usage obviously, occasional in this instance) , making 10yrs in ideal circumstances.

BUT

Do you know for sure it is 3yrs and not 10? It was not exposed to sunlight during storage? It was not exposed to chemicals etc etc??

In the end it is your life on the line.

[Nic Gear]

Willeklong, 3 years is very old. Please post it to me so I can dispose of it safely for you. I'll PM my address.

too late buddy i already called dibs.

[willeklong]

look, i know the climber and are 100% of the age & storage condition. Its a sport climber that wanted, but never got into trad. He is still sport climbing and fully aware of storing/using gear correctly. I do not know how old the rope was when he bought it, but i think safe to asume 5y max and storage under correct conditions.

Seems like i will have to trust my life with it?

[Hann]

Klong,
You decide.

If you feel safe and trust the owner, go for it.

I know mountain rescuers who still use harnesses that has not been manufactured in 15years...

[mokganjetsi]

ja willeklong, like hann said, decide yourself.

a rope stored in a dark, dry place should last for many many years - the materials are not naturally degenerative. and it should become obvious (look & feel) if the rope is in bad shape. the biggest danger is if the rope was exposed to hazardous materials during storage (like sulpheric acid).

[Marshall1]

SA importers bring us all the expired gear that's too old to sell in Europe & US. Were all fine so far.

[Warren G]

SA importers bring us all the expired gear that's too old to sell in Europe & US. Were all fine so far.

I would love to know who you are referring to: all importers i know of don't do this. Speaking for Ram, other then the odd old sample in our "sale" box we hold nothing of the sort. But as a distributor you would expect me to say this, so i challenge you to go to our website: www.rammountain.co.za and cross reference it to our brand sites Black Diamond-http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-glbl/shop/climb/harnesses, Beal :http://www.bealplanet.com/portail-2006/index.php?page=harnais&lang=us.

Should you find a harness that is no longer available in the world but available tell us and we will explain ourselves. There are only two reasons why you may find discrepancy: we haven't updated the site, or it is an end of line product and we have a few extras left. Our retailers may have old models in stock still.

We keep as up to date as possible, but won't nessisarily stock all that our brands offer simply because the market can't sustain it, for example the latest Chaos harness. if you would like to get see some of these products we have a show running this week at MCSA HQ in Cape Town

[Warren G]

replying to to topic i agree with above, inspect it, and when in doubt throw it out.

My only comment is many manufacturers recommend not storing your software in the garage due to the car fumes affecting the materials over the long term. 3 years is long term.